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Chapter 16: The Father's Shadow
publish date:
2026-08-18 18:40:02
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THE FAKE HEIRESS and Her OBSESSIVE BROTHER Chapter 16: The Father's Shadow
The church door groaned shut behind them, sealing the old woman inside.Vivian stood on the stone steps, the cold night air biting against her cheeks. Above her, the moon hung low in the dark sky, casting pale light across the deserted street. The church stood behind them like a silent witness, its ancient walls holding secrets Vivian was only beginning to understand.Elena stepped beside her, wrapping her arms around herself. "She gave you a map," she said quietly. "That's something."Vivian stared down at the folded paper in her hand. "She gave me more than that." Her fingers tightened around it. "She gave me directions."They walked toward the motel, their footsteps echoing through the empty streets. Most of the town had already gone to sleep. Curtains were drawn. The storefronts were dark. Even the streetlights seemed too weak to push back the shadows.Vivian couldn't stop thinking about what the old woman had told them. Damian's father. Richard Carrington. The missing women. The
THE FAKE HEIRESS and Her OBSESSIVE BROTHER Chapter 15: The Search
The diner's door swung shut behind them, cutting off the warmth inside.Vivian stood on the cracked sidewalk, the waitress's words echoing in her mind. Young women with dark hair. The same description every time. A man who brought them to the church and never brought them back.She looked at Elena. "We need to find out more.""From whom? The waitress already told us everything she knows.""She told us what everyone knows. Someone in this town remembers more."Vivian thought about her mother's photograph. Her mother had passed through this city searching for answers. Maybe she had found someone willing to talk."Where do we start?""Libraries keep old records," Vivian said. "Newspapers, missing-person reports, local archives. If the church was connected to disappearances, there should be something on file.""And if there isn't?""Then we find the people who remember."They walked toward the town center. The streets were quiet, and elderly residents watched them from their porches.The
THE FAKE HEIRESS and Her OBSESSIVE BROTHER Chapter 14: The Warning
The road stretched before them, dark and empty.Vivian's shoes squelched with every step, soaked from the river crossing. Her wet clothes clung to her skin, heavy and cold against the night air. Elena walked beside her, shivering but silent. Neither spoke.The distant glow of the city lights seemed to mock them. So close, yet still so far.Vivian replayed the phone messages in her mind. You made it across the river. Come back, Vivian. I'll be waiting. He knew. He always knew.She glanced at the phone in her pocket. Someone had planted it there, possibly on Damian's orders. Either way, it meant they had been tracked since the moment they escaped the mansion.A chill ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold."We need to rest," Elena finally said. "Just for a few hours."Vivian wanted to argue. Every minute they stopped gave Damian more time to find them. But her legs screamed with exhaustion, and her eyelids felt heavy as stones."Okay," she agreed. "But we find somewhere
THE FAKE HEIRESS and Her OBSESSIVE BROTHER Chapter 13: The Decision
The forest swallowed them whole.Vivian ran until the mansion disappeared behind the trees, cold air burning her throat while branches scratched her bare arms. Elena stayed beside her, stumbling over roots but refusing to stop.Behind them, something cracked, and they both froze. For one terrifying second, Vivian heard nothing except her heartbeat before another branch snapped somewhere in the darkness.Someone was following them. "Move," Vivian whispered, and they ran again.The moon barely showed through the thick canopy, and every tree looked identical while every shadow seemed to shift. Vivian kept one hand around the small flashlight she had taken from the safe house, but its weak beam did little against the darkness.She didn't dare look back if Damian's men were close, she feared her legs would stop working. Elena suddenly caught her arm and pointed ahead."There!" A narrow path appeared between two rows of trees, and Vivian followed without asking questions.They pushed throug
THE FAKE HEIRESS and Her OBSESSIVE BROTHER Chapter 12: The Search
"We need to leave. Now."Elena's voice cut through the silence of the cabin, sharp and urgent. Vivian looked up from the photograph, her heart lurching. The four words on the back still burned in her mind. Find me. I'm waiting."What's wrong?" Vivian asked, already reaching for her bag."I saw something. A car. Parked down the road." Elena's face was pale. "It wasn't there before."Vivian's blood ran cold. She crossed to the window, peering through the dusty glass. A black sedan sat at the edge of the tree line, its engine off, its windows dark. No one got out. No one moved. But someone was in there. She could feel it."Get your things," she said, her voice steady despite the fear clawing at her chest. "We're leaving."They moved quickly, gathering their few belongings. Vivian stuffed the photograph, the letter, and the paper with the name Riverside into her bag. They slipped out the back door, disappearing into the thick woods behind the cabin.They didn't stop until the cabin was no
THE FAKE HEIRESS and Her OBSESSIVE BROTHER Chapter 11: The Return
"You came."The voice came from the shadows of the old church, soft and trembling. Vivian stepped through the creaking wooden door, her heart pounding against her ribs. The building was dark, lit only by the pale moonlight streaming through stained glass windows. Dust motes danced in the thin beams of light, and the air smelled of old wood and forgotten prayers.She'd come alone, just as the note instructed. Elena had wanted to follow, but Vivian had refused. She didn't know who was waiting for her. She didn't know if it was a trap. But she had to take the risk."Who's there?" she called out, her voice echoing through the empty pews.A figure emerged from the shadows near the altar. Small. Hunched. An old woman with silver hair and eyes that held a lifetime of secrets. She wore a faded coat and clutched a worn leather bag to her chest. She moved slowly, her joints stiff with age, but her gaze was sharp, missing nothing."You look just like her," the woman said, her voice crackling lik
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